The Sleep of the Plum Blossoms
by Androfirestrike
Summary: She was his obsession, both before and after he became a captain. She was his inspiration. She was the only thing keeping him from being lonely. She was his love. But he lost her and he didn't know how to get her back. Mayuri x OC. Slight Mayuri x Nemu?
1. Waking Up

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or its characters as they belong to Tite Kubo, but I do sorta own my Original Character in this story, Ume Mikashin.

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Her hair was tinted purple, like the plum blossoms she was named after.

Her favorite color was red, even though she saw that color far too often.

Her eyes were always sad, like she had seen so much – yet nothing at all.

Her heart had slowly rotted away in the very prison she had sworn to save.

She faded away, leaving hardly any memories of her in the world.

Only Kurotsuchi Mayuri knew the truth.

She was his obsession.

She was his love.

She was his.

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**Ch. 1: Waking Up**

The Nest of Maggots was where no shinigami wanted to end up. The Nest of Maggots was the home of Seireitei's worst _criminals_. It was where all the scum ended up – both literally and figuratively. Located to the Northwest of the Second Division's grounds lied the facility. It was surrounded by a giant moat. It was an impenetrable fortress. And it took courage, bravery, strength, intelligence and cunning to work there.

Mikashin Ume, fourth seat of Second Division, spent day after day there. She was the number two person in charge of the Nest of Maggots, behind Urahara Kisuke, who was the third seat of Second Division at the time. While Urahara spent his time collecting data on shinigami, personally collecting the shinigami that were deemed "unsafe" and making his rounds of the detention center occasionally, Ume made it her purpose to always be there in the facility. She served the daily meals, she interacted with the imprisoned shinigami, and she always had a light smile on her face. That wasn't to say she never got attacked. She got attacked at least once a day and every time it happened she brought her attacker down with ease. She could tell when a shinigami wanted to escape and she would make sure to stop the shinigami before they even got a chance. She didn't let anyone talk down to her, nor did she talk down to anybody.

She was the only part of the Nest of Maggots that Kurotsuchi Mayuri liked and he was content with that.

She would always serve him his meal last. It was, after all, a detour from the rest of the detention center. Everyone else was allowed to roam free, except him. He spent constant moments wondering why, too. He would wonder why everyone else could roam free, even though he didn't feel the slightest urge to attack anyone. He merely wanted to toy with everyone. He just was curious about the world around him. Was there any crime in that?

He could hear her footsteps. Slowly, quietly she walked toward his cell – his meal in hand. Eventually her footsteps became so loud that they would echo and then she would slip his daily meal of pike fish into his cell. He would stare at her. Her pale skin, her purple-tinted hair that was tightly tied into a long braid with a few strands of hair framing her face along with her bangs, her distinctive green eyes that always seemed to have a bit of melancholy hidden in them and the red choker that she wore around her neck with matching red sash tied around her waist – he studied everything about her. She looked to be around 5'6" and around 115 lbs. She was rather tall and thin, but with large breasts. He didn't know her exact weight or height but he could tell all this simply from conjecture.

"Pike fish again, Mikashin-san? It's become one of my favorites. I wouldn't suppose you knew that, though?" Mayuri inquired.

Ume's light smile grew larger as she poised to speak, "Of course I do, Kurotsuchi. It's one of the only meals I serve to you that you completely eat. And I don't want you starving yourself..."

A large grin. This meeting was really the only reason he tolerated confinement here. The head of the detention unit, Urahara Kisuke, didn't even bother coming to see him when he made his rounds around the center. Ume was his only source of interaction. She was his only source of conversation. She was the only thing in the vicinity, besides why he was locked up in a prison cell to begin with, that he didn't understand.

He slowly got up, walking as far as the restraint around his ankle would allow him, to pick up his dinner. He looked at the fish, then back at Ume, "Why do you continue to work here? Wouldn't your gifts be much better used some place else? Mikashin-san, your kindness and strength are confined to an institute which prohibits you from being free."

Her eyes held even more sadness at that moment.

"If you stay on good behavior, Kurotsuchi, I'll tell you why. Stay on good behavior for exactly one week and I'll tell you why I never leave this place," She quietly said then turned around. Every footstep she took echoed even more than when she entered.

Good behavior was an easy task and one week went by as if it was only one day as he pondered the answer he would receive. Over and over, more and more, he wondered why a woman like her was content to spending all of her time surrounded by crazy shinigami.

A week ended and she came to deliver his meal. Pike fish again. He smiled.

"You want me to answer your question, Kurotsuchi?" She said as she slid his meal into his cell.

Mayuri got up, slowly, walking as far as the restraint around his ankle would allow him, to pick up his dinner. "But of course, Mikashin-san. I've been waiting all week."

He didn't expect the reaction he got from her. A light blush. A feint hint of embarrassment.

"The shinigami here have never done anything wrong, but are treated as criminal. Therefore, all of them assume they are criminals even if they aren't. Without someone to interact with, without someone always there – even they begin to feel lonely. Loneliness is the worst feeling known to man. It is the type of pain that never feels good, _ever. _If I wasn't around then the shinigami here would really become the monsters everyone assumes they are. Loneliness would consume them," She paused for a moment and then looked Mayuri in the eye. "You are a strange one, Mayuri. You never thought of yourself as criminal. You never thought of yourself as crazy and that was exactly why you were locked up. You were the craziest one of them all because you think yourself completely sane."

Mayuri began to ponder her words. _Loneliness_. Yes, if he had felt any of the human things called emotions then loneliness would be there at the top. It would be right next to self-satisfaction and intrigue. And as for the reason he was locked up, it made complete sense, yet no sense at all. It made as much sense as the use of his first name escaping from her lips.

He pursed his lips before developing a response, "That diagnosis. Is it official or your own theory? Either way, I applaud whoever came up with it. I am in no way a criminal and I know this. I don't have the urge to kill anyone without just reason. I merely just want to know more. I want more knowledge. Whether or not someone lives or dies while I'm on my quest for knowledge is besides the point. Perhaps, I am the only one locked up because I am too smart for my own good? As for loneliness, you fail to see the big picture. If you look around at all the shinigami imprisoned here one would see that you're the most lonely of them all. Despite that smile you always wear, your eyes cannot hide whatever sadness lies within you, Ume."

Ume gasped at the use of her first name and the nature of his response. She slowly turned around, her back facing him.

She took two steps, each with the loudest echo he had heard yet, "You're right. I am lonely. Maybe I really am the loneliest. As for the theory, it was my own conjecture, but I would say I'm most likely right." Her plum-colored braid swayed in the light breeze of the cave. She turned back around, her green eyes showing at least three different emotions in them, "It seems you have bested me. I came here to simply tell you the truth and have you agree, but it seems like you saw the real me. Goodbye, _Mayuri-sama_..."

And with that, she turned around and proceeded to walk down the dark tunnel that lead back to the main area of the detention center. Mayuri began to feel a new emotion and that emotion made him unable to stomach his pike fish.

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Little did Mayuri know, that would be the last meal she would serve him. Urahara Kisuke made a special visit to his cell the following day. He was followed by a shorter girl, who Mayuri was completely unfamiliar with. He barely knew Urahara, but had talked to him on the extremely rare occasions he would visit and see how he was doing. He didn't care for him at all.

"Kurotsuchi Mayuri-san, would you care to accompany me out of this place?" Urahara spoke immediately upon reaching his cell. Mayuri didn't believe him, nor did he care.

The little girl that had traveled along with Urahara began to make a fuss over who Mayuri was, which Mayuri took upon himself to respond back with a caustic insult. She only fired back by calling him a demon. Urahara took it upon himself to introduce her as his Fukutaichou before Mayuri could respond.

That meant Urahara Kisuke was now a Taichou. What a surprise.

"Fukutaichou? Why, could you have been promoted? I suppose congratulations are in order," Mayuri said with not-too-subtle sarcasm.

Urahara smiled, as if taking him seriously, "Thanks. But what about my proposition? You haven't given me a reply yet..."

Mayuri stared at the man in front of him, his golden eyes fixated on his breathing patterns and hand gestures. He was such an infuriating man.

"And would you be referring to your mad suggestion that I accompany you out of this place?" Mayuri said, almost insulted by such an offer. Urahara began to smirk.

"That's right." Simple and blunt. Urahara didn't have any hidden motives and didn't seem like he wanted to force him out of his cell either.

Mayuri couldn't say yes to his offer, though, "I'll have to refuse."

Urahara's eyes locked tightly, focusing clearly on Mayuri as he uttered a simple, "Why?"

Mayuri took no pause in his response. He knew exactly why he didn't want to leave, "I'm quite satisfied with my life here. I see no reason to leave."

Ume. She was his reason that he kept on living. If he left, how often would he get to see her?

"Oh, come now! Don't be so silly! There's nothing for you to fiddle around with in there!" Urahara spoke. He was laughing at him. He was so bold as to _laugh_ at him.

Mayuri was interested, though, in his tenacity, "Perhaps I should pose a question, why exactly would you be wanting me to leave this place?"

Urahara shrugged, "I have a need of your abilities."

Liar. If that was the case, why was he only being released now?

"I suggest you stop lying through your teeth. I can see through you right to the bones," The last word was used only to help in driving the other man away.

Urahara wasn't intimidated, though. He laughed again and began to scratch the back of his head, "Oh, dear...You really are on your guard around me, huh?"

He was such an unpleasant man. Mayuri didn't understand how Ume had tolerated serving under him.

"Yet I have difficulty understanding you. You truly are... an unpleasant sort of man," Mayuri spoke. He had gotten to the point that he didn't care about expressing his opinions if it meant Urahara would leave.

Urahara just plainly stared at him, eye to eye.

Mayuri gave a light sigh, causing Urahara to speak: "...I'm offering you a way out in return for your skills. That is the truth. In my capacity as the Taichou of twelfth division, I'm thinking of creating an organization within that division the likes of which Soul Society has never seen. The 'Research and Development Institute'. And I'd like you to serve as Vice-President if you would oblige."

The young girl apparently had no idea what her Taichou's plan was and Mayuri wasn't thrilled with the idea of working under such an unpleasant man. He made sure that this was known.

"It's not a bad deal, right? You're second only to me. In other words, _if I were to die then it would be left under your control_," Urahara emphasized his last sentence greatly.

It was what Mayuri always wanted: a chance to pursue his quest for knowledge. He wanted to stay, yet he wanted to leave. He decided to make a choice, though. If Ume found out he had turned this offer down because he wanted to stay behind for her, she would never forgive him. So he grinned, giving an insane chuckle, "You truly are... an unpleasant sort of man."

And he decided to leave the Nest of Maggots.

**To be continued.**

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****A/N: **Oh, what. the. hell? Mayuri x OC who looks suspiciously like Nemu? Ok, breakdown of Ume's name: Ume means "Plum Blossom" and Miki means "Beautiful Tree" and Shin means "Heart". I wanted to do a study of how Mayuri became so twisted and abusive, especially toward Nemu. Then it hit me while looking at his past – the Nest of the Maggots. It was perfect. And thus, this story came to fruition. I'm quite proud of the first chapter. Ume and Mayuri are both fun to write. And the last bit of dialogue between Mayuri and Urahara would be directly from Bleach Manga chapters -106 and -105, AKA Turn Back the Pendulum chapters 3 and 4. Maybe the reason I'm finding it easy to write as both Mayuri and Ume is because I myself am feeling lonely? My mom passed away December 31, 2008 and I've begun to notice how lonely I feel now that she no longer is in my life. Loneliness really is a pain that never feels good and only gets worse over time and I think I'm going to touch upon this theme in the chapters to come. Hopefully, I finish this. I've lost my will to finish things lately. Anyways, reviews? I'd appreciate them, please.


	2. Morning Sickness

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or its characters as they belong to Tite Kubo, but I do sorta own my Original Character in this story, Ume Mikashin.

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**Ch. 2: Morning Sickness**

He spent most all of his time researching in his laboratory. He rarely went outside. When Mayuri did go outside, people would stare at him like the freak he was. He didn't care, but he didn't like when people made a huge fuss over something that really wasn't a big deal. It was on rare occasions he would step outside and usually it was for only one two reasons. Either he was following his Taichou, Urahara Kisuke, somewhere important or he would go out to the second division or a third seat gathering to meet Ume.

Ume also rarely made it out of her assigned place – the Nest of Maggots. After Urahara Kisuke became Taichou of division twelve, Ume had been promoted to third seat of division two and head of the detention unit. The promotion made complete sense. She was skilled in every form of battle, both mental and physical and seemed to devote her entire being to that very center. Promoting her to head of it made perfect sense.

Every once in a while, he would file a request to meet her. Usually he would cite that he had new "prison technology" to show her or inform her about. Or he would cite that he was there for a mental and emotional check-up, one of the many things he had complied to do in order to leave the Nest of Maggots to begin with. Shihouin Yoruichi never minded him returning to the Nest of Maggots, apparently. In fact, he had overheard her talk with Urahara Kisuke about how her third seat seemed to be even more lonely since Mayuri left. Urahara also commented that Ume seemed to act differently now that her favorite prisoner was no longer a prisoner at all.

Part of Mayuri regretted leaving her, but part of him rejoiced in the fact he could now see her with no restraint or cell separating them. He was her equal now. Both of them were third seats. Yet, even though he was no longer imprisoned, she was. She was imprisoned in the facility she lived to serve.

He was going to meet her again today. It had been two years since he had left. Two long years, and he had only formally talked to her twenty three times at the monthly third seat gatherings and personally talked to her six times after filing requests to visit her in the detention center. He missed her more than anything and was thankful he had his research to keep him at ease.

He took a few steps, the doors of the nest of Maggots opening and closing behind him in a blink of an eye. Ume stood before him, a smile on her face as she welcomed him back. He noticed a small difference in appearance from the last time he had saw her. She had a small scratch on her right cheek.

"What happened to your cheek?" Mayuri asked instinctively.

Ume sighed, turning to walk, "I was careless. I had my guard down and was attacked. I was able to stop the attacker, but he scratched me. It's no big deal, Mayuri..."

Mayuri took note of the fact Ume seemed eager to drop the topic of her cheek so he let it pass. He began to follow her to her office. It was a solemn walk. He passed by not only his former cell (which seemed uninhabited), but the main detention facility as well. He hated seeing the shinigami there because he knew they were the reason Ume was confined to this place.

Eventually, they got to her office. It was a small room. It had nothing, but a very small bed, two small chairs, desk and large computer in it. The computer was most likely the shinigami database. The room seemed cleaner than it used to be, which made it seem larger, but still small at the same time. Back when Urahara was head of the detention unit, Mayuri recalled the office being messy. When he left two years ago, this room was a pig's sty, but every paper in this room was now stacked neatly on her desk. The walls were a dark green, unchanged since Urahara had painted them four years ago. Making the room seem even darker was the cheap, black carpeting and the light that seemed like it was barely there.

"You filed a request to see me for a mental and emotional check-up. That is a lie, right? Why did you really come to see me, Mayuri?" Ume spoke, sitting down in the larger chair of the two.

Mayuri looked at the other chair, it was across from her desk which was somewhat cluttered due to its small size. He didn't want to sit there. He decided then to just stand until she asked him to sit and he decided not to answer her question either, "Have you ever been scared of me, Ume? Do you find me to be... a freak?"

He was never one to be self-conscious and in all honesty, he wasn't still. He was curious, though, if Ume found him to be attractive despite his numerous physical abnormalities and personality defects. He knew he was a freak, but he didn't care. He was quite happy with the way he looked, but he was unsure if she liked the way he looked at all.

Ume smiled, her green eyes glowing in the dim, fluorescent light that illuminated the dark room. She was so beautiful, the complete opposite of him in every way. That frightened him, yet intrigued him at the same time.

"You don't scare me, Mayuri. You're attractive in your own freakish, but likable way," She lightly giggled. "You never set out to scare me, did you? If you did, I never noticed. You're smart, easy to talk to and all you want is to know more about the world. You think highly of yourself, even when people think lowly of you. And you don't look like the freak you assume you look like – at least to me. Underneath all that face and body paint, that helmet-hat thing, and the fact you have no ears is a gorgeous man. Your gold eyes, blue hair and all the scars that keep you together are extremely attractive. All of your defects and abnormalities make you even_ more_ attractive."

Her face was almost completely red. His face was also feeling very hot. She had just admitted that she found him attractive? Impossible. But she would never lie to him. She was telling the truth.

This was the first time in his life that the truth scared him.

"I can hardly believe a woman as perfect as you finds me _attractive,_" Mayuri looked away, thankful that this room was dark.

Ume began to tap her fingers on her desk, giving a large sigh,"Perfect? I am in no way perfect. There is no such thing as perfect in the world. That may be cliché, but it is the truth. There is no point in achieving perfection. Nope. Nothing. Not a single thing. If something is perfect, then there is nothing left. There's no imagination. There's no room to grow. I'm not perfect. If I was perfect then a scientist such as yourself would have no interest in me."

Mayuri was stunned. He had to completely agree. He had to find a fault with her somewhere. He stepped closer to her and then he saw it in her eyes – loneliness. Despite everything she had and everything she was, she was lonely and miserable. Perfection, last time Mayuri checked, meant happiness, didn't it? Or did perfection only bring unhappiness to those who were so close to obtaining it?

"Perfection only brings despair, right? For a scientist especially. We create and create, but we only create what is best – not what is perfect. A scientist has to... A scientist has to find pleasure while suffering from that paradox," Mayuri paused deeply, then poised to speak again, "I was incorrect in assuming you were perfect. I see it now. Even a woman such as yourself has many flaws. You're sad and you like things to go your way, but things never seem to. You're...beautiful, but you don't know it. There are things about you that I do not comprehend whatsoever."

Beauty. Attraction. Perfection. Flaws. Had both of them just confessed to being attracted to one another?

Ume and Mayuri were silent for a minute until Ume got up out of her seat.

"Why are you here, Mayuri? You never answered my question. Perhaps you don't have an answer?" The purple-haired woman stared, her green eyes leering into his mind.

It wasn't that he had no answer. He always had an answer. He just didn't want to say why he had come. He didn't want to tell her that he had come just to speak with her like they were doing now. He didn't want to say he had come just because he felt like he needed to.

He grinned, "Ever since that day, you haven't addressed me as 'Mayuri-sama'... Why is that. Ume?"

Mayuri was fond of changing the subject around her. He loved the feeling of controlling the conversation so she would tell him her deepest feelings.

"You seem to be fond of changing topics, Mayuri. I'll answer your question, though," Ume took a deep breath as she took a step closer to him, "You had won that day. You had bested me. You made me feel defeat... And I thought it would be the last time I would see you so I decided to give you something to remember me by. I never thought that you would come back to the Nest of Maggots to see me once you were released. You did come back, though, but when you came back you came back as a fellow third seat. You were my equal."

Mayuri closed his eyes, sighing, "I've bested you again, though. You comply to me and I have gotten you to admit your feelings once again. The truth is, I came here to just see you. Nothing more, nothing less. I enjoy talking to you. You seem to be the only person who can adequately satisfy my conversational needs. What was this about you knowing I was going to leave, though?"

Ume began to smile after hearing that. She began to smile so much that she almost cried – almost.

"They had made an announcement a week in advance that Hikifune Taichou of Division Twelve was being promoted. Therefore, they needed a new Taichou and fast. There were two obvious prospects: Urahara Kisuke, Third Seat of Division two and head of the detention unit, or Aizen Sosuke, Fukutaichou of Division five. I figured they would pick Urahara and they did. Even before he was chosen to be the next Taichou of Twelfth division, he had asked about you and the personal records I had kept on you. After he was chosen he said that Soul Society should have some sort of institute of research and that you would fit in well there since you were such an inquisitive person. That final night I served you dinner, I knew would be my last time doing so..." Ume spoke, not even able to look Mayuri in the eye.

This girl was smart. She knew how things would unfold before anybody else did. She knew exactly what was going to happen just after hearing one announcement.

"I hope you aren't mad, Mayuri. I knew what was going to happen and I didn't tell you. It-It makes me really happy, though, to know you came here just to see me. It seems like you always find a way to come out on top over me and make me admit what I'm really feeling. If you want me to, I don't mind addressing you as 'Mayuri-sama' in private," A light smile played her lips.

_Mayuri-sama_. It sounded good. _Mayuri-sama_. It sounded really good coming from her.

He wanted to hear his name coming from her lips again.

"Please. I'd like you to address me as that and nothing more from now on, Ume," Mayuri said. He moved over to Ume, his hand coming up to touch her hair. It felt silky and smooth, amazing to the touch.

Ume blushed again, her green eyes meeting his gold.

She began to bite her lip in anticipation, "What do we do now, Mayuri-sama?"

Mayuri took a moment to think. He had no answer. He had no answer at all?

"Honestly, I have no idea. I'm not good at these kinds of things." He continued to touch her hair, which caused the girl to blush even more that she already was.

This was a strange meeting – completely unlike any of the meetings they had in the past.

Neither of them knew what to do now that they confessed their mutual attraction to each other and tied up a few loose ends. Mayuri cleared his throat, determined to make the situation less awkward, "How would you assess my mental and emotional state now?"

Ume laughed at the statement as she turned and wrote something down on a piece of paper.

"Your mental state is fine. Your emotional state, however, is a little _confused_. Perhaps, you are in love with someone?" the purple-haired woman smiled.

Mayuri froze. Love. Love? _Love. _What was the definition of love again?1. A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness. 2. A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance. 3. An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object. 4. A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment. _or_ 5. _Sports._ A zero score in tennis.

Out of all those definitions, Mayuri definitely felt a combination of both one and two. However, although he knew the definition of the word love, he was unsure of how to practice it.

Ume sighed, looking at Mayuri's puzzled face, "I'm sorry. Perhaps I assumed too quickly. It seemed to me like you were–"

"I need to do research. I _need_ to do research... I'm sorry, but I have to go. Goodbye, Ume," Mayuri quickly scurried out the door.

Ume began to giggle. So, he was in love with her, but he had no idea what to do? She smiled, "Goodbye... Mayuri-sama..."

Mayuri leaned his head against her door, being able to pick up her last words.

He needed to do research. He needed to research what couples do.

He needed to talk to an expert on the subject.

He needed to talk to Urahara.

**To be continued.**

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****A/N:** QUICK UPDATE FTW. I want to get this story out like clockwork. Unfortunately, I just realized that I need to do a history project and memorize my lines for my theatre class or else face really bad consequences. Eh. I'm going to do it, though. I'll strike while the iron is hot. Let's see... I wanted this chapter to be romantic, yet Mayuri-like at the same time. I was planning for them to kiss, but then I realized that both of them had no idea what to do. Mayuri needs to do some research. He's going to ask Urahara. Haha, Mayuri's like a little kid basically. Thanks a lot for the reviews so far, by the way. Five in one day? That reminds me of my good, ol' _Flowers_ and _Petals_ days. BTW, I'd like to touch upon the reason as to why I excluded Hiyori out of the first chapter. Personally, I wanted to exclude Urahara out, too, but I couldn't do that. I want to include as little characters as possible in this story besides Mayuri, Ume and eventually Nemu. At least, while building Ume and Mayuri's relationship up, I want them to interact mainly with each other and those that they need to. BTW, notice how I quoted from Mayuri in his fight with Szayel? Yep. I went there. I got some ideas for a few more chapters so don't leave me yet. Reviews please? I love reviews. :)


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